Marion County Fair organizers hope to bring more people to this year's event in September, and they want county leaders to help.JASPER, Tenn. -- Marion County Fair organizers hope to bring more people to this year's event, and they want county leaders to help.
Fair organizer Sam Anderson recently asked county commissioners to attend the fair Sept. 10-14 at the county fairgrounds in Jasper.
"[We want commissioners] to help us promote the fair in their district," Anderson said.
Events at this year's fair will include music competitions, lawn mower racing, several beauty pageants, a pet show and a poultry show.
Mud racing was introduced last year, Anderson said, and quickly has become one of the most popular events.
"We've also contracted with a new carnival that will be bringing some bigger and faster rides for the kids," he said.
Officials hope to build a permanent exhibit building on the site soon, Anderson said.
"We would like to secure a grant to build the exhibit building," he said. "We hope that the [board] will help us. Other counties have done that for their fairs, including Franklin County and Bledsoe County."
Even though attendance at the fair has dropped in recent years, officials hope some of the added attractions will boost this year's numbers.
"I do want to emphasize that this is a charitable event," fair organizer David Riley said. "We are trying to kind of return to that and get more committed. You can look where we came from, but we've still got a long way to go."
Admission to this year's county fair will be $3 for adults and $2 for students. Special event nights such as the lawn mower and mud races require a $5 admission for everyone.
Opening ceremonies will be held Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. CDT, officials said.
For more information on events and scheduling, go to www.marioncountyfair.com.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.